Story Of O

Pauline Réage is the pseudonym of Anne Desclos, a French journalist and novelist. Story of O was first published in 1954, to much controversy and speculation as to the identity of the author. Desclos publicly admitted that she was the author of Story of O forty years after it was first published. She died in 1998.

"'A rare thing, a pornographic book well written and without a trace of obscenity'" Graham Greene "'A remarkable piece of work'" Harold Pinter "A highly literary and imaginative work, the brilliance of whose style leaves one in no doubt whatever of the author's genius...a profoundly disturbing book, as well as a black tour-de-force" Spectator "Here all kinds of terrors await us, but like a baby taking its mother's milk all pains are assuaged. Touched by the magic of love, everything is transformed. Story of O is a deeply moral homily" J.G. Ballard